Survey migration system for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS)

ABSTRACT

A method of migrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographic survey areas, including: uploading a first plurality of flight missions into a first UAV pod; deploying the UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the first plurality of flight missions; providing first survey data from the UAV to the UAV pod; autonomously migrating the UAV from the first UAV pod to a second UAV pod; receiving a second plurality of flight missions in a second UAV pod; providing the UAV with one of the second plurality of flight missions from the second UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from the second UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the second plurality of flight missions; and providing a second survey data from the UAV to the second UAV pod; where the autonomous migrating of the UAV to accomplish the first and second survey data happens autonomously and without active human intervention.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/115,086, filed Feb. 11, 2015, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The field of the invention relates to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)systems, and more particularly to systems for operating a UAVautonomously.

BACKGROUND

Aerial geographic survey work for the agricultural and oil industriesincur the logistics and costs of personnel to operate and maintain theair vehicle as well as collect and process the associated data. Thesecosts are typically compounded by need for a substantial amount of thiswork to be performed at, or relatively near to, the location of thesurvey, which typically is well removed from any population centers. Asa result it is advantageous to increase automation, reliability (reducecomplexity), range, and capability of an air vehicle and support systemfor performing such data retrieval and processing tasks.

SUMMARY

Exemplary method embodiments may include a method of migrating unmannedaerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographic survey areas,including: uploading a first plurality of flight missions into a firstUAV pod; deploying the UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV from theUAV pod a plurality of times to perform the first plurality of flightmissions; providing first survey data from the UAV to the UAV pod;autonomously migrating the UAV from the first UAV pod to a second UAVpod; receiving a second plurality of flight missions in a second UAVpod; providing the UAV with one of the second plurality of flightmissions from the second UAV pod; autonomously launching the UAV fromthe second UAV pod a plurality of times to perform the second pluralityof flight missions; and providing a second survey data from the UAV tothe second UAV pod; where the autonomous migrating of the UAV toaccomplish the first and second survey data happens autonomously andwithout active human intervention.

Additional exemplary method embodiments may include performing dataanalysis of the first and second survey data; and providing the dataanalysis to the customer. Additional exemplary method embodiments mayinclude processing, by a first processor of the first UAV pod, theprovided first survey data, where the processing may include at leastone of: converting the provided first survey data into one or moreviewable images with accompanying geospatial location and stitching theone or more images into an orthomosaic. Additional exemplary methodembodiments may include charging a battery of the UAV in the first UAVpod; and charging the battery of the UAV in the second UAV pod.Additional exemplary method embodiments may include storing the providedfirst survey data in a UAV pod memory of the first UAV pod; and storingthe provided second survey data in a UAV pod memory of the second UAVpod. Additional exemplary method embodiments may include determining, bya first weather sensor in communication with a first processor of thefirst UAV pod, a flight decision based on a measurement of the externalenvironment prior to each autonomous launch of the UAV from the firstUAV pod; and determining, by a second weather sensor in communicationwith a second processor of the second UAV pod, a flight decision basedon a measurement of the external environment prior to each autonomouslaunch of the UAV from the second UAV pod.

Additional exemplary method embodiments may include autonomously landingthe UAV in the first UAV pod a plurality of times after each of theperformed first plurality of flight missions; and autonomously landingthe UAV in the second UAV pod a plurality of times after each of theperformed second plurality of flight missions. Additional exemplarymethod embodiments may include autonomously routing the UAV to a localarea network (LAN) for wireless transmission of at least one of: thefirst survey data and the second survey data by a transceiver of theUAV. In additional exemplary method embodiments, at least one of thefirst plurality of flight missions may include dropping a payload by theUAV and/or loitering the UAV over an event of interest. Additionalexemplary method embodiments may include determining a UAV battery powerlevel during the first plurality of flight missions; and autonomouslyre-routing the UAV to the first UAV pod if the determined UAV batterypower level drops below a predetermined voltage threshold.

Additional exemplary method embodiments may include uploading a thirdplurality of flight missions into the first UAV pod; autonomouslylaunching a second UAV from the first UAV pod a plurality of times toperform the third plurality of flight missions; providing third surveydata from the second UAV to the first UAV pod; autonomously migratingthe second UAV from the first UAV pod to the second UAV pod; receiving afourth plurality of flight missions in the second UAV pod; providing thesecond UAV with one of the fourth plurality of flight missions from thesecond UAV pod; autonomously launching the second UAV from the secondUAV pod a plurality of times to perform the fourth plurality of flightmissions; and providing a fourth survey data from the second UAV to thesecond UAV pod; where the autonomous migrating of the second UAV toaccomplish the third and fourth survey data happens autonomously andwithout active human intervention.

Exemplary system embodiments may include an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) surveying system including: a first region having one or more UAVpods; a second region having one or more UAV pods; a UAV having a UAVprocessor, wherein the UAV processor can: receive one or more flightmissions from a UAV pod in the first region; provide flight survey datafrom the received one or more flight missions to the UAV pod in thefirst region; migrate the UAV from the UAV pod in the first region to aUAV pod in the second region; receive one or more flight missions fromthe UAV pod in the second region; and provide flight survey data fromthe received one or more flight missions to the UAV pod in the secondregion. In additional exemplary system embodiments, the UAV may be avertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV. In additional exemplary systemembodiments, the received one or more flight missions may include atleast one of: waypoints, altitude, flight speed, sensor suiteconfiguration data, launch time, launch day, and mission sensor go andno-go parameters.

Additional exemplary system embodiments may include a first transceiverof the UAV; and a second transceiver of the UAV pod in the first region;and a third transceiver of the UAV pod in the second region; where theprovided flight survey data from the one or more flight missions in thefirst region may be sent by the first transceiver of the UAV andreceived by the second transceiver of the UAV pod in the first region;and where the provided flight survey data from the one or more flightmissions in the second region may be sent by the first transceiver ofthe UAV and received by the third transceiver of the UAV pod in thesecond region. Additional exemplary system embodiments may include aweather sensor in communication with a processor of the UAV pod in thefirst region; where the processor of the UAV pod in the first regiondetermines a UAV flight decision based on a measurement of the externalenvironment by the weather sensor prior to each launch of the UAV fromthe UAV pod in the first region. In additional exemplary systemembodiments, the migration of the UAV from the UAV pod in the firstregion to the UAV pod in the second region happens autonomously andwithout active human intervention.

Additional exemplary method embodiments may include a method ofmigrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographicsurvey areas, including: launching, from a first location, a UAV havinga portable UAV pod, where the portable UAV pod is attached to the UAV atlaunch; flying the UAV having the portable UAV pod to a second location;landing the UAV having the portable UAV pod at the second location; anddetaching the UAV from the UAV pod. Additional exemplary methodembodiments may include the portable UAV pod folds up after launchingand unfolds prior to landing. Additional exemplary method embodimentsmay include the portable UAV pod having one or more solar panels forcharging the UAV. Additional exemplary method embodiments may includecharging a battery of the UAV in the first UAV pod prior to launch.Additional exemplary method embodiments may include determining, by aweather sensor in communication with a processor of the UAV pod, aflight decision based on a measurement of the external environment bythe weather sensor prior to launching the UAV from the first location.In additional exemplary method embodiments, flying the UAV having theportable UAV pod to the second location happens autonomously and withoutactive human intervention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasisinstead being placed upon illustrating the principals of the invention.Like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a UAV pod that mayhouse and protect an extended range VTOL UAV to accomplish multipleautonomous launches, landings and data retrieval missions;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the two-rotor UAV first illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the UAV pod in its open configuration;

FIG. 4 is a data flow diagram illustrating information flow from acustomer requesting data to a customer support center, an operationalsupport center, a UAV in a UAV pod, and back again;

FIG. 5 is a data flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of theflow of information from a customer requesting data, to a customersupport center, to an operational support center, to a UAV in a UAV pod,and back again to the customer;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a more particular embodiment ofuse of the UAV pod and UAV system by a customer;

FIG. 7 shows a pod that due to its rural location lacks a wireless dataconnection and the UAV has flown from its pod to loiter above a house tobe within range of the house's WiFi connection;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method ofconducting flight missions for the UAV;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the use of a plurality of UAVpods with only one UAV to extend the possible geographic survey areafrom what would otherwise exist with only one UAV;

FIG. 10 depicts a UAV pod and associated UAV that may be provided with aplurality of missions that cover a rectangular coverage area;

FIG. 11 illustrates two extended coverage survey areas that may beserviced using only one UAV or a limited number of UAVs;

FIGS. 12A and 12B depict several weeks of a UAV migration flow plan thatuses multi-aircraft UAV pods to initiate UAV surveys across fourdisparate North-South geographic areas that have pre-positionedsingle-UAV pods for receipt and provisioning of the migrating surveyUAVs;

FIG. 13 depicts a system that may include a portable UAV pod that can berelocated and positioned by the UAV carrying it; and

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate one embodiment of a UAV pod that is capableof use with more than one UAV.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)system is disclosed that provides for improved remote geographic surveycapabilities. Multiple autonomous mission launches and landings may beaccomplished using a two-rotor VTOL UAV that is capable of efficienthorizontal flight, and a UAV pod having a UAV pod processor, with theUAV selectively enclosed in the UAV pod for protection against theexternal environment when not in use, recharging and/or transferringdata.

An operating method is disclosed for migrating UAV operations betweengeographic survey areas. The method may use multi-aircraft UAV pods toinitiate UAV surveys across disparate geographic areas that havepre-positioned single-UAV pods for receipt and provisioning of themigrating survey UAVs. A UAV may be launched from a first UAV pod in afirst geographic area to perform a first set of flight missions andreturn survey data to the first UAV pod. The UAV may then beautonomously migrated to a second UAV pod in a second geographic area.The UAV may then perform a second set of flight missions and returnsurvey data from this second set of flight missions to the second UAVpod. The UAV may autonomously move to various geographic areas toperform various tasks that may then be analyzed and provided to acustomer.

Exemplary UAV Pod and UAV Structure

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a UAV pod that mayhouse and protect an extended range VTOL UAV to accomplish multipleautonomous launches, landings and data retrieval missions. Theillustrated system 100 has a winged two rotor UAV 102 seated on alanding surface 104 of an interior 106 of the UAV pod 108. The UAV 102is seated in a vertical launch position to facilitate later launch outof the UAV pod 108. The UAV pod 108 may selectively enclose the UAV 102,such as through the use of a UAV pod protective cover 110. The cover 110may be a two-part hinged cover that is operable to close to protect theUAV 102 from the external environment or to open to enable launch of theUAV 102. The UAV pod 108 may have a short-range UAV pod transceiver 112that may be seated in a compartment below the landing surface 104,within their own separate compartments, or may be seated elsewherewithin the UAV pod 108 for protection from the external environment. TheUAV pod transceiver 112 may receive UAV flight telemetry such as UAVflight and trajectory information, UAV battery status information andsensor data (such as video), and other data transmitted by the UAV 102.The UAV pod transceiver 112 may also transmit flight control data suchas navigation (e.g., re-routing instructions) to the UAV 102. A UAV podprocessor 114 may also be housed within the UAV pod 108 to accomplish,among other functions, providing the UAV 102 with a plurality ofmissions, receiving flight survey data from the UAV 102, monitoring theUAV pod 108 for overhead obstacles, monitoring the external environmentsuch as the weather through the weather sensor, monitoring thetrajectory of the UAV 102, and providing navigation instructions to theUAV 102 in response to receiving UAV battery status or other flightwarning condition data inputs.

A UAV pod memory 116 may also be housed within the UAV pod 108 forstoring UAV flight mission information and geographic survey data. Abattery 118 may be enclosed in the UAV pod for recharging the UAV 102and for providing power to the UAV pod 108 such as for use by theprocessor 114 and cover motor (not shown). The battery 118 may berechargeable such as through solar panels 119, or may be a permanentbattery such as a 12-Volt deep cycle marine battery. In an alternativeembodiment, the battery 118 may be a fuel cell. In some embodiments, theUAV pod 108 will use the solar panels 119 to charge the battery 118 tolater charge the battery of the UAV 102. Typically, the UAV pod 108 willbe charging the battery 118 while the UAV 102 is out of the pod 108executing a mission and will recharge the UAV 102 upon its return to theUAV pod 108.

A weather sensor 120 in communication with the UAV pod processor 114 mayextend from an exterior of the UAV pod 108 to enable accuratemeasurement of the external environment, such as wind speed, temperatureand barometric pressure. A proximity sensor or sensors may also beprovided (122, 124) and in communication with the UAV pod processor 114to enable go and no-go flight decisions based on the proximity of anyobjects or other obstructions positioned over the UAV pod cover 110. TheUAV pod 108 is preferably weather hardened to enable extended outdooruse regardless of weather variations.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the two-rotor UAV 102 first illustratedin FIG. 1. The UAV 102 has only two rotors 202, enabling verticaltakeoff and landing (VTOL) missions out of the UAV pod 108 (see FIG. 1).The UAV 102 has a UAV transceiver 204 within a UAV fuselage 206. A UAVprocessor 208 is also seated in the UAV 102 and in communication withthe UAV transceiver 204. The UAV 102 also includes a battery 209 forproviding power to the rotor motors and the electronics, including theprocessor 208. The UAV processor 208 is configured to receive aplurality of flight mission information that may include waypoints,altitude, flight speed, sensor suite configuration data, launch day/timeand mission weather sensor go and no-go parameters. The UAV 102 may havea variety of electrical optical (EO) sensors 210, such as LiDAR, RADAR,infrared, visible-spectrum cameras, or other active or passive sensorsthat may be used to detect soil moisture, crop density, crop health,terrain, or other objects or qualities of interest. The UAV 102 may havea rear landing gear 212 extending off of a rear of the fuselage 206 thatmay be used in combination with UAV engine nacelles 214 to enable afour-point landing for more stable landings on the UAV pod 108 (see FIG.1). The landing gear 212 may also function as a flight surface oraerodynamic surface, such as a vertical stabilizer, providing corrective(passive) forces to stabilize the UAV 102 in flight, such as tostabilize in a yaw direction. The UAV 102 may have wings 215 to providethe primary source of lift during the UAV cruise (e.g., horizontalflight), while the two rotors 202 provide the primary source of liftduring the VTOL phases of UAV flight. This combination of wing and rotoruse allows for efficient flight while collecting flight survey data,which increases the range and/or duration of a particular flight whilealso allowing the UAV 102 to land and take off from the relatively smallUAV pod 108 (see FIG. 1) landing area. In one embodiment, the UAV 102may take off and land vertically using the two rotors 202 thatthemselves are operable to lift the UAV 102 vertically upwards,transition the UAV 102 to horizontal flight to conduct its survey orother flight mission, and then transition it back to vertical flight toland the UAV 102 vertically downwards, with attitudinal control for theUAV 102 in all modes of flight (vertical and horizontal) coming entirelyfrom the rotors 202 (as driven by a means of propulsion) without thebenefit or need of aerodynamic control surfaces, such as ailerons, anelevator, or a rudder. One such UAV 102 is described in internationalpatent application number PCT/US14/36863 filed May 5, 2014, entitled“Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Air Vehicle” and is incorporated byreference in its entirety herein for all purposes. Such a UAV 102benefits from a more robust structure by reducing the opportunity fordamage to control surfaces (i.e., there aren't any), and may be madelighter and with less complexity.

The UAV 102 may also be provided with a rearward facing tang 216extending off of a rear portion 218 of the fuselage 206 in lieu of or inaddition to rear landing gear 212. Such rearward-facing tang 216 may bemetallic or have metallic contacts for receipt of electrical signals(i.e., data) and/or power for charging the UAV's battery 209.

FIG. 3 illustrates the UAV pod 108 in its open configuration. In FIG. 3,the UAV 102 is illustrated in its vertical configuration and seated on alanding surface 104 of the UAV pod 108. The UAV 102 is shown positionedat least generally aligned with the rectangular dimensions of the UAVpod 108. In embodiments, the landing surface 104 is rotatable toposition the UAV. In FIG. 3, the cover 110 is open to enableunobstructed launch, and later landing, of the UAV 102. The cover 110 isillustrated with side portions 300 and top portions 302, with hinges304. In an alternative embodiment, only the top portions 302 are hingedto enable unobstructed launch of the UAV 102. Alternatively, the topportions 302 may translate out of the flight path linearly or using amechanism and motion so that the UAV is free to launch. In oneembodiment, the landing gear 212 may be omitted and the UAV 102 may beguided into and out of one or more slots, guide rails, channels, orother guiding structure to both secure the UAV 102 during its landedstate and enable landing. The weather sensor 120 may be coupled to thecover 110 or may extend off the side of the UAV pod 108 (not shown).Also, although the UAV pod 108 is illustrated having a rectangularcross-section and a box-like structure, the UAV pod 108 may take theform of a dome-shaped structure or other configuration that enablesstable placement and protection for the selectively enclosed UAV. Thecover 110 can include solar panels on its exterior (not shown), and insome embodiments one or both of the covers 110 can be positioned, andmoved, about the hinges 304 to be perpendicular to the sun's rays tomaximize the collection of solar energy.

Business Methods of Operation

FIG. 4 is a data flow diagram illustrating information flow from acustomer requesting data to a customer support center, an operationalsupport center, a UAV in a UAV pod, and back again. A customer maysubmit a data request 400, such as a request for a geographic aerialsurvey, to a customer support center. The customer support center maywork with the customer and the received data to finalize the datarequest for transmission 402 to an operational support center. Theoperational support center may use the finalized data request todetermine the location of a launch site in or adjacent to a UAV podsurvey site, to plan a plurality of flight missions that collectivelyaccomplish the customer's geographic survey data request. The resultantmissions plan data may then be provided 404 to a UAV pod that may bedeployed to the launch site. Prior to launch, the first of the pluralityof missions is provided to the UAV 406 in the form of flight data, suchas altitude, heading, and way points, and the UAV is launched to performthe mission. Upon return of the UAV to the UAV pod, the survey raw data,such as camera imagery, event logs, GPS and IMU raw data, may beprovided 408 to the UAV pod. In one embodiment, the UAV pod maypre-process the data, such as by converting the raw data into viewableJPGs with an accompanying geospatial location. Additional pre-processingmay be performed, such as stitching the images into an orthomosaic. In afurther embodiment, such pre-processing may be performed onboard the UAVprior to providing the data to the UAV pod. The pre-processed data maybe provided 410 to the customer support center for final processing.

The next mission's flight data may be provided 412 to the UAV and theUAV may be launched to perform the next survey mission. Upon its return,the survey raw data may be provided 414 to the UAV pod forpre-processing and the pre-processed data may then be provided 416 tothe customer support center for additional processing. With the UAVreceiving the last mission flight data 418 and upon receipt by the UAVpod of the final survey raw data 420, the final pod-processed data maybe provided 422 to the customer support center. After final processingof the collective missions pre-processed data, the survey results may beprovided 424 by the customer support center to the customer.

FIG. 5 is a data flow diagram illustrating another embodiment of theflow of information from a customer requesting data, to a customersupport center, to an operational support center, to a UAV in a UAV pod,and back again to the customer. As illustrated above, the customer maysubmit the data request 500 to the customer support center that may thenfinalize the data request for transmission 502 to an operational supportcenter. The processed requested data is used to develop a plurality offlight missions that collectively accomplish the customer's datarequest. The resultant missions plan data may then be provided 504 tothe UAV pod that may be deployed to the launch site, and the firstmission's flight data may be provided 506 to the UAV prior to launch andaccomplishment of the first flight survey mission. The pre-processedsurvey data may be provided 508 to the UAV pod for storage, and thesecond mission's flight data provided 510 to the UAV to conduct thesecond mission's survey. Upon returning to the UAV pod, the secondmission's pre-processed flight data may be provided 512 to the UAV pod.After the last mission's flight data is provided 514 to the UAV by theUAV pod and after conclusion of the last flight mission survey, the lastmission's flight survey data may be provided 516 to the UAV pod and thecollective missions' pod-processed survey data provided 518 to thecustomer support center for final processing before providing 520 thefinally-processed survey data to the customer.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a more particular embodiment ofuse of the UAV pod and UAV system by a customer. A first data request isreceived from a customer, such as an owner of an agricultural field orland use manager (block 600). The customer may input the data requestthrough a website portal that requests information detailing therequest. For example, the customer may wish to provide geographicboundaries to survey a first geographic coverage area during a specificperiod of time to accomplish a refresh rate. “Refresh rate” refers tothe number of times each area of the geographic coverage area is imagedduring the deployment period for that geographic coverage area. In otherembodiments, the data request may include a ground resolution or groundsurface distance (“GSD”). For example, a GSD of one inch may enable thecoverage areas and refresh rates described in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 UAV Deployment 90 days 90 days 90days Period UAV Missions 360 360 360 GSD 1 inch 1 inch 1 inch CoverageArea 100,000 12,500 6,250 Refresh Rate 1 (once/ 8 (once/ 16 (once/ 90days) 11 days) 6 days)

Similarly, by suitably modifying GDS values, the UAV may have thecoverage area and refresh rates listed in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6 Example 7 UAV Deployment 90 days90 days 90 days 90 days Period UAV Missions 360 360 360 360 GSD 2 inch 4inch 0.5 inch 0.25 inch Coverage Area 100,000 12,500 50,000 25,000(acres) Refresh Rate 2 (once/ 4 (once/ 1 (once/ 1 (once/ 45 days) 23days) 90 days) 90 days)

In other embodiments, rather than inputting the data request through awebsite portal, the customer may provide the data through a proprietarysoftware interface or via a telephone interview mechanism, each incommunication with a customer support center. A plurality of flightmissions may then be planned that collectively accomplish the customer's(block 602) request such as by pre-planning how many flights and fromwhat general areas they need to operate. The planned flight missions,such flight missions including flight mission data representing takeoffday/time, waypoints, flight altitudes, flight speeds, and such, areprovided to the UAV pod (block 604) for future communication to a UAVseated in the UAV pod.

The UAV pod may then be deployed to a launch site that is either withinor adjacent to the customer-desired geographic coverage area (block606). Deployment may consist of loading the UAV into a UAV pod andtransporting both to the launch site by means of truck or aircrafttransport. By way of further example, the UAV pod and enclosed UAV maybe transported by a commercial carrier (e.g., FedEX, UPS, etc.) to afarm for offloading into a field, or by an oil and gas utility companyto a location adjacent a transmission or pipeline that may be thesubject of a visual survey. The UAV may be provided with flight missiondata representing one of the plurality of missions (block 608) such asby short range wireless or wired communication within the UAV pod. Asused herein, “short range” may be defined as a range having sufficientdistance to communicate with the UAV throughout the UAV's maximum rangeof flight. The UAV may then be launched out of the UAV pod to performthe provided flight mission (block 610). As described herein, a“mission” or “flight mission” preferably encompasses one launch, surveyflight, and landing, but may encompass more than onelaunch/flight/landing. The flight mission data may also include dynamicflight instructions, such as altering its trajectory, attitude or suchas by dropping a payload if certain conditions exist, such as would bevaluable in a search and rescue mission if the plan locates the soughtafter object or person.

After completion of the flight mission, or in response to a reroutingrequest received by the UAV, the UAV is received in the UAV pod and theflight survey data is provided to UAV pod memory (block 612). In analternative embodiment, rather than returning to the original UAV pod,the UAV flies to and is received by a second UAV pod (block 614) (seealso FIGS. 12A and 12B). Such an alternative embodiment may be utilizedin order to transition the UAV into an adjacent geographic survey regionfor receipt of a new plurality of missions for a second geographicsurvey. Alternatively, such an embodiment may be used to provide for anextended geographic area survey, one that would ordinarily not beaccomplished with a single UAV due to the UAVs inherent power/rangelimitation. If all missions in the plurality of missions have not yetbeen completed (block 616), then the next one of the plurality ofmissions is provided to the UAV (block 608) and the UAV is againlaunched out of the UAV pod autonomously (i.e., without humanintervention) to perform the next survey flight mission and the UAV mayreturn to the UAV pod after completing the flight mission and therecorded survey data provided to the UAV pod. Otherwise, if all missionsare completed (block 616), then the completed flight survey data may beprovided from the UAV pod (block 618). The survey data may be providedto UAV pod memory that is in the form of detachable memory in the UAVpod, such as SD cards, USB flash memory, or otherwise detachable andportable memory, to a UAV pod servicer, or may be provided wirelesslythrough a cell phone connection, WLAN or LAN connection, orsatellite-enabled transceiver. In an alternative embodiment, the UAV isrouted to a LAN area for the LAN to receive the flight survey datawirelessly during flight and before returning for landing in the UAV pod(block 619).

FIG. 7 shows a pod 700 that due to its rural location lacks a wirelessdata connection and the UAV 702 has flown from its pod 700 to loiterabove a house 703 to be within range of the house's WiFi connection.This allows the UAV 702 to download data to either a server at the house703 or to another location via an Internet connection. The UAV 702 caneither store the data on board and then transmit it via the WiFiconnection or relay a signal from the pod 700 to the WiFi.

FIG. 7 also shows that the UAV 702 could also transmit information bymeans of a physical act, such as loitering over an event of interestdetermined by the prior collection and processing of data. One exampleof such an event of interest could be the location of a lost person 704or the location of an area of farmland that need additional water.

The flight survey data provided to UAV pod memory (perhaps detachablememory), provided wirelessly from the UAV pod, or even provided to alocal LAN as described above, may be in raw or pre-processed form. Forexample, the flight survey data may simply be “zipped” and relayed to aremote processing station where all of the data is processed.Pre-processing the flight survey data prior to providing such from theUAV pod or directly from the UAV provides advantages. Data transmissionbandwidth requirements may be reduced from what would otherwise beneeded to transmit raw data for processing to an operational supportcenter. A reduction in transmission bandwidth requirements may translateinto reduced data transmission costs and time. In a preferredembodiment, either the UAV processor 208 (see FIG. 2) or UAV podprocessor 114 (see FIG. 1) may pre-process the UAV-captured raw data(e.g., block 418, see FIG. 4). The UAV-captured raw data such as cameraimagery, event logs, GPS and IMU raw data may be converted into viewableJPGs with accompanying geospatial location (i.e., “geo-tagging”) fortransmission. However, additional pre-processing may be performed eitherby the UAV processor or UAV pod processor. For example, the JPG imagesand accompanying geospatical location may be further processed to stitchthe images into an orthomosaic so that what is sent from the UAV pod orfrom the UAV itself is a single high resolution image covering theentire flight survey area (or from an individual flight mission)resulting in the lowest bandwidth needed for transmission and thehighest level of automation of pre-processing for the ultimate customerfor measuring roads, buildings, fields, identifying agriculturalprogress, inspecting infrastructure, urban planning, and other analysis.

As shown in FIG. 7, the UAV pod 700 may include an interface and display705 to provide the collected data and processed data for use at sitewithout the need for transmission from the pod 700 to an offsitelocation. For example, the display 705 may be used to inform local users(e.g., farmhands) of areas that need additional watering or the like.

As shown in FIG. 6, the UAV pod (which may now include the UAV) may thenbe retrieved and returned to an operations support center (block 620). Asecond plurality of flight missions may then be uploaded into the UAVpod to accomplish a second data request from the same or a differentcustomer and the UAV pod re-deployed. In an alternative embodiment,rather than returning the UAV pod to a support center, the UAV pod maybe moved or migrated (block 622) to a second or next geographic coveragearea for further use.

In a further alternative embodiment, the UAV pod may be deployed to alaunch site prior to providing the UAV pod with flight missions datarepresenting the planned flight missions. In such a scheme, the UAV podmay establish or join a local LAN connection for receipt of the plannedflight missions on-site.

Local UAV Operation

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method ofconducting flight missions for the UAV. The UAV may be provided with oneof the plurality of missions (block 800) that reside in the UAV pod. TheUAV may be launched vertically out of the UAV pod (block 802),preferably under its own power using the two rotors on the UAV. In oneembodiment, the immediate environment over the UAV pod is monitored forobstacles and weather (block 804) that may otherwise interfere withlaunch of the UAV. In such an embodiment, if no obstructions aredetected (block 806), then the UAV may be launched out of the UAV pod(block 802). Otherwise, launch of the UAV is delayed or cancelled andthe UAV pod continues to monitor for overhead obstacles and weather(block 804, 806), as well as the UAV battery status (block 810). Afterlaunch, the UAV pod may monitor the UAV's trajectory (block 808). If UAVbattery power is low or otherwise drops below a predetermined voltagethreshold (block 812), then the UAV pod may provide reroutinginstructions to the UAV (block 814) to shorten the current mission toenable a safe return of the UAV to the UAV pod. In an alternativeembodiment, the UAV is directed to return immediately to the UAV pod(block 816) or to an intermediate pre-determined position. If, however,the battery is not low (block 812), and no other flight warningcondition is triggered (block 818) the mission continues (block 820). Ifthe current UAV mission has been completed (block 820), the UAV returnsto the UAV pod (block 816) for landing and the geographic survey data isdownloaded to the UAV pod memory (block 822) such as by a wireless orwired transfer of the mission data to the UAV pod memory. The UAV podprotective cover may be closed (block 824) to protect the UAV from theexternal environment (i.e., rain, direct sun, vandals, or damagingparticulate matter).

Methods of General Survey Use—Contiguous Survey Areas

While embodiments of the system thus far are described within thecontext of a flight survey using only one UAV pod, it is contemplatedthat a customer of the system may request a geographic coverage areathat extends beyond the capabilities of a single UAV and UAV podcombination. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the use of aplurality of UAV pods with only one UAV to extend the possiblegeographic survey area from what would otherwise exist with only oneUAV. An operator of the system may review the customer request andallocate n number of UAV pods for deployment at a given UAV pod spacing.An extended geographic survey area 900 may thus be divided into aplurality of individual geographic survey areas 902 for mission planningpurposes. A respective plurality of UAV pods (each indicated by an ‘X’)may be deployed in predetermined launch locations so as to substantiallycover the extended geographic survey area 900 and a communicationnetwork established to allow a single human manager to monitor the setupof the entire network of UAV pods. The size of each coverage or surveyarea 902 and the positioning of the pods across the area 900, may varyby a variety of factors including the range, flight time, recharge time,sensor or sensors of the UAV to be employed in that area 902, thefrequency of the survey, the weather or season (as they may affectperformance of the UAV and/or the charging capabilities of the pod),obstacles and obstructions, wireless communications between the pod andeither the UAV, other pods, cellular network, or other radio system,dispersion of other pods in adjacent areas, and the like. Thepositioning of the pods may also be affected by the ability to positionor deliver the pods to desired locations given the accessibilityprovided by local roads and terrain. A UAV pod 904 having a pre-loadedUAV may be deployed having a plurality of preloaded missions that arecollectively sufficient to survey the immediately-surrounding coveragearea 906. After the UAV has autonomously completed the missions tosurvey the immediately-surrounding coverage area 906, the UAV 908 may betransitioned to the next predetermined UAV pod 910 for recharging (orrefueling) and to receive the first of a next plurality of flightmissions to cover the second immediately-surrounding coverage area 912.Through the use of a plurality of missions designed specifically tocollectively cover the second coverage area 912, the UAV may thenmigrate to the next coverage area 914 and so on until the entireextended coverage area 900 has been surveyed. In one embodiment, anon-coverage area 916, such as a lake, mountain, forest, city, non-farmland, or other area that is not of interest, is included in the extendedcoverage area 900 and may be avoided from survey activities to possiblyextend the serviceable area for the UAV.

In an alternative embodiment that recognizes the autonomous landingcapability of the UAV, the UAV, rather than transitioning to the nextindividual geographic survey area 902 or to the next individualgeographic survey areas 902, the UAV may fly to a predetermined dataoffloading waypoint, such as a customer's farm house or automobile, toestablish or join a local LAN connection or to establish a wirelessconnection to provide a data dump of geographic survey data.

In a further alternative embodiment, more than one UAV may be providedwithin the extended geographic survey area 900, with each UAV having adifferent sensor suite to gather complementary data for the customer. Insuch a scheme, each UAV may survey the entire extended geographic surveyarea 900 by transitioning through the plurality of individual geographicsurvey areas 902 over time, or to only a subset of each area 900, toobtain a more complete understanding of the area 900 than would bepossible with only a single UAV sensor suite.

Also, although the prior description describes one UAV for each UAV pod,in an alternative embodiment, each UAV pod may selectively encompass,provide power for, and distribute missions to two or more VTOL UAVs (seeFIG. 12B). In some embodiments, each pod deployed to a survey area 902will include its own UAV to allow the given area 902 to be surveyed atthe same time, or about the same, time or frequency as any other area902. UAV pods in different areas 902 could contain UAVs with differentsensors, or sensor suites, and the UAV pods could trade UAVs asnecessary to obtain the desired sensor coverage.

Although FIG. 9 illustrates each immediately-surrounding coverage area(e.g., 906, 912, 914) as being circular, a UAV pod and associated UAVmay be provided with a plurality of missions that cover a rectangularcoverage area 1000 (see FIG. 10) or a coverage area having differentregular or irregular shapes to accomplish the overall goal of surveyingan extended coverage area 1002 that could not otherwise be coveredwithout the use of multiple UAVs or with UAVs having significantlygreater range capabilities, as illustrated in FIG. 10.

Methods of General Survey Use—Non-Contiguous Survey Areas

FIG. 11 illustrates two extended coverage survey areas that may beserviced using only one UAV or a limited number of UAVs. The twoextended coverage survey areas (1102, 1104) are not contiguous, butrather are separated into two distinct extended coverage areas. During amission planning procedure, each of the two extended coverage surveyareas (1102, 1104) are broken up into perspective area sets 1106 thatare serviceable with a single UAV/UAV pod set. In such an arrangement, asingle UAV may transition from one area set 1106 to the next within thefirst extended coverage survey area 1102 as the respective missions arecompleted, until transitioning to the next extended coverage survey area1104.

Methods of Agricultural Survey Use—Non-Contiguous Areas (“UAVMigration”)

FIGS. 12A and 12B depict several weeks of a UAV migration flow plan thatuses multi-aircraft UAV pods to initiate UAV surveys across fourdisparate North-South geographic areas that have pre-positionedsingle-UAV pods for receipt and provisioning of the migrating surveyUAVs. In one survey embodiment, the survey captures planting (P),emergence (E), growth (G), harvest (H) and clean-up (X) time phases ofeach agricultural field's growing season using pre-determined UAVsensors. Each UAV in the multi-aircraft UAV pods may have a differentsensor payload, such as some combination of infra-red (IR), Lidar,Radar, or optical cameras for each UAV to accomplish a specific surveytask, thus reducing payload weight and maximizing duration and range foreach individual UAV. For example, since a Lidar sensor is needed tocheck crop height, a Lidar-equipped UAV would not be appropriate for useduring the planting phase but would provide useful data during thegrowth phase.

In week 1, a first of five UAVs in each multi-aircraft UAV pod 1200, thefirst UAVs referred to for convenience as the “planting UAVs” because ofprovisioned sensors for detecting the success of the targeted crop'splanting phase, may survey the first local geographic survey area toassess and/or record the success or failure of the survey area'splanting (P) period. After the conclusion of the planting geographicsurvey, the planting UAVs may be flown (i.e., “migrated”) (indicated byarrows), preferably autonomously, to the adjacent second region singleUAV pod 1202 survey site for subsequent provisioning, such as batterycharging, in preparation for the next survey.

In week two, the planting UAVs may be again launched, this time from thesecond region UAV pod 1202 survey site, to conduct flight surveys toassess and/or record the area's planting (P) phase. In addition, asecond of five UAVs in the multi-aircraft UAV pods 1200, referred to forconvenience as the “emergence UAVs” because of provisioned sensors fordetecting the success of the targeted crop's emergence phase, arelaunched for the first time to capture the emergence (E) phase of firstgeographic survey area that was previously surveyed during its plantingphase. After the conclusion of the planting and emergence phase surveysby the planting and emergence UAVs, respectively, the UAVs may be flown(indicated by arrows), preferably autonomously, to the adjacent secondand third regions UAV pods (1202, 1204) survey sites, respectively, forsubsequent provisioning, such as battery charging, in preparation forthe next survey.

In week three, the planting UAVs may again be launched, this time fromthe third region UAV pod 1204 survey sites, to conduct flight surveys toassess and/or record the area's planting (P) phase. The emergence UAVsmay initiate their second survey, this time from the second region UAVpod 1202 survey sites, to conduct flight surveys to assess and/or recordthe area's emergence (E) phase. In addition, a third of five UAVs in themulti-aircraft UAV pods 1200, referred to for convenience as the “growthUAVs” because of provisioned sensors for detecting the success of thetargeted crop's growth phase, are launched for the first time to capturethe growth (G) phase of first geographic survey area that was previouslysurveyed during both their planting and emergence phases. After theconclusion of the planting, emergence, and growth phase surveys by theplanting, emergence, and growth UAVs, respectively, the UAVs may beflown (indicated by arrows), preferably autonomously, to the adjacentsecond, third, and fourth region UAV pods (1202, 1204, 1206) surveysites, respectively, for subsequent provisioning, such as batterycharging, in preparation for the next survey.

In week four, the planting UAVs may be launched to initiate their fourthsurvey, this time from the fourth region UAV pod 1206 survey sites, toconduct flight surveys to assess and/or record the local area's planting(P) phase. The emergence and growth UAVs may also be launched toinitiate their surveys, this time from the third and second region UAVpod (1204, 1202) survey sites, respectively. In addition, a fourth offive UAVs in the multi-aircraft UAV pods 1200, referred to forconvenience as the “harvest UAVs” because of provisioned sensors fordetecting the success of the targeted crop's harvesting phase, arelaunched for the first time to capture the harvesting (H) phase of thefirst geographic survey area that was previously surveyed during theirplanting, emergence, and growth phases by the planting, emergence, andgrowth UAVs, respectively. After the conclusion of the planting,emergence, growth, and harvest phase surveys by the planting, emergence,growth, and harvesting UAVs, respectively, the UAVs (not shown) may beflown (indicated by arrows), preferably autonomously, to theirnext-scheduled survey sites.

In week five, the planting UAVs may be launched to initiate their fifthsurvey, this time from the fifth region multi-aircraft UAV pod 1208survey sites, to conduct flight surveys to assess and/or record thelocal area's planting (P) phase. The emergence, growth, and harvest UAVsmay also be launched to initiate their respective surveys, this timefrom the fourth, third, and second region UAV pods (1206, 1204, 1202)survey sites, respectively. Lastly, a fifth of five UAVs in themulti-aircraft UAV pods 1200, referred to for convenience as the“cleanup UAVs” because of provisioned sensors for detecting the successof the targeted fields' cleanup phase, are launched for the first timeto capture the cleanup (X) phase of the first geographic survey areathat was previously surveyed during their planting, emergence, growth,and harvesting phases.

Although not illustrated, in one embodiment, the remainder of weeks 6-9would be used to accomplish the remaining emergence, growth, harvesting,and cleanup phase surveys of each of the geographic survey areas as theindividual UAVs migrated from the northern-most multi-aircraft UAV pods1200 down through the individual UAV pods (1202, 1204, 1206) and finallyto the southern-most multi-aircraft UAV pods 1208 where thefinally-enclosed UAVs would be made available for physical pick-up. Inone embodiment, the northern-most and southern-most multi-aircraft UAVpods are the same pods, with launch and landing of the first and fifthUAVs coordinated to allow migration of the multi-aircraft pods 1200 tothe southern-most pod position illustrated in FIG. 12B.

In alternative embodiments, the UAVs may be migrated in compassorientation other than generally North-South, or in migration paths thatare not generally linear or in a manner that is not dependent on clearlydefined crop phases.

As shown in FIG. 13, in embodiments, the system may include a portableUAV pod 1300 that can be relocated and positioned by the UAV 1302carrying it. The UAV pod 1300 is generally lighter and smaller thanother UAV pods set forth herein so as to allow it to be carried by theUAV 1302. The weight and size of the pod 1300 could be reduced by any ofa variety of means including having it lack doors to enclose the UAV1302. Such a pod 1300 could be used as a way station for the UAV 1302 tostop at to recharge and extend its overall range. Also, by having theUAV pod 1300 being able to be positioned by the UAV 1302 would allow thepod 1300 to be placed in otherwise effectively inaccessible locations,such as on top of a mountain or on an island. As shown in FIG. 13, theUAV 1302 starts on the pod 1300 in location A, where the UAV 1302 isphysically attached to the pod 1300. Then the UAV 1302 takes offvertically with the pod 1300 to deliver it to a remote location B, atwhich the UAV 1302 can detach from the pod 1300 and leave it in place.To aid in its transport the UAV pod 1300 may have portions 1304 and 1306that can fold up during transport and unfold prior to landing at the newlocation. The folding portions 1304 and 1306 could be solar panels tocollect and power the pod 1300 and the UAV 1302. Positioning pods 1300in this manner would allow for a tailoring of the geographic area thatthe UAV could cover. Such lighter less capable pods 1300 could work inconjunction with more functional fix position pods, such as those setforth herein as the pods 1300 would provide less functions (e.g.,charging only) than the fixed pods (e.g., charging, data processing,data transmission, an enclosure for UAV protection, etc.).

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrates one embodiment of a multi-aircraft UAV podfor use with a plurality of UAVs, such as may be used to accomplish aUAV migration flow plan. A plurality of landing mechanisms 1400 may havetwo pairs of opposing guides such as guide paddles (1402, 1404, 1406,1408). Each pair of guide paddles (1402, 1404)(1406, 1408) form aV-channel (1410, 1412) that serve to guide the wings 1414 of the UAV1416 into a proper angular orientation with respect to the UAV hingedcover 302 to allow the hinged cover to close to selectively encompassthe UAV for protection from the external environment.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreembodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scopeof this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveying systemcomprising: a first region having one or more UAV pods; a second regionhaving one or more UAV pods; a UAV having a UAV processor, wherein theUAV processor is configured to: receive one or more flight missions froma UAV pod in the first region; provide flight survey data from thereceived one or more flight missions to the UAV pod in the first region;migrate the UAV from the UAV pod in the first region to a UAV pod in thesecond region; receive one or more flight missions from the UAV pod inthe second region; and provide flight survey data from the received oneor more flight missions to the UAV pod in the second region.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the UAV is a vertical takeoff and landing(VTOL) UAV.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the received one or moreflight missions includes at least one of: waypoints, altitude, flightspeed, sensor suite configuration data, launch time, launch day, andmission sensor go and no-go parameters.
 4. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising: a first transceiver of the UAV; and a second transceiver ofthe UAV pod in the first region; and a third transceiver of the UAV podin the second region; wherein the provided flight survey data from theone or more flight missions in the first region is sent by the firsttransceiver of the UAV and received by the second transceiver of the UAVpod in the first region; and wherein the provided flight survey datafrom the one or more flight missions in the second region is sent by thefirst transceiver of the UAV and received by the third transceiver ofthe UAV pod in the second region.
 5. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising: a weather sensor in communication with a processor of theUAV pod in the first region; wherein the processor of the UAV pod in thefirst region determines a UAV flight decision based on a measurement ofthe external environment by the weather sensor prior to each launch ofthe UAV from the UAV pod in the first region.
 6. The system of claim 1wherein the migration of the UAV from the UAV pod in the first region tothe UAV pod in the second region happens autonomously and without activehuman intervention.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first regionand the second region comprise disparate geographic areas.
 8. The systemof claim 1 wherein the UAV is migrated from the UAV pod in the firstregion to the UAV pod in the second region to receive the one or moreflight missions from the UAV pod in the second region.
 9. A method ofmigrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations between geographicsurvey areas, comprising: launching, from a first location, a UAV havinga portable UAV pod, wherein the portable UAV pod is attached to the UAVat launch; flying the UAV having the portable UAV pod to a secondlocation; landing the UAV having the portable UAV pod at the secondlocation; and detaching the UAV from the UAV pod.
 10. The method ofclaim 9 wherein the portable UAV pod folds up after launching andunfolds prior to landing.
 11. The method of claim 9 wherein the portableUAV pod comprises one or more solar panels for charging the UAV.
 12. Themethod of claim 9 further comprising: charging a battery of the UAV inthe first UAV pod prior to launch.
 13. The method of claim 9 furthercomprising: determining, by a weather sensor in communication with aprocessor of the UAV pod, a flight decision based on a measurement ofthe external environment by the weather sensor prior to launching theUAV from the first location.
 14. The method of claim 9 wherein flyingthe UAV having the portable UAV pod to the second location happensautonomously and without active human intervention.
 15. The method ofclaim 9 wherein the portable UAV pod is detachably attached to the UAVat launch.
 16. The method of claim 9 wherein the portable UAV pod housesand protects the UAV.
 17. The method of claim 9 further comprising:folding one or more portions of the UAV pod during flight to the secondlocation.
 18. The method of claim 17 further comprising: unfolding oneor more portions of the UAV pod during flight to the second location.19. The method of claim 17 further comprising: unfolding one or moreportions of the UAV pod prior to landing at the second location.
 20. Themethod of claim 17 wherein the one or more portions of the UAV podcomprise one or more solar panels.
 21. The method of claim 20 furthercomprising: charging the UAV pod via the one or more solar panels. 22.The method of claim 20 further comprising: charging the UAV via the oneor more solar panels.
 23. The method of claim 9 wherein the portable UAVpod is transported by the UAV.
 24. The method of claim 9 furthercomprising: landing a second UAV on the detached UAV pod.
 25. The methodof claim 24 further comprising: providing at least one of: power, dataprocessing, and data transmission to the landed second UAV via thedetached UAV pod.